By 9 a.m. on Oct. 27, 1993, the temperature in Laguna Beach was already 80 degrees, and the humidity was just 8 percent. Winds were reported at 60 mph, and, in the following hours, they would whip a small brushfire into one of the most destructive wildfires in history.

“A fire like that happening today is still going to be destructive,” Laguna Beach Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse said. ”The weather conditions, the wind conditions were such that even a large (fire break) wouldn’t have stopped that fire.”

Over the last 20 years, though, firefighters have gotten a boost from better equipment, technology and infrastructure. The results have made Laguna Beach more prepared than ever, LaTendresse said, but against stacked odds of climate and topography, the risk of wildfire never disappears.

“People need to be aware and take personal responsibility for preparing their home,” he said.

When fire does strike now in Orange County’s wilderness areas, fire agencies arrive in engines designed with the lessons of the past in mind. Even older engines carry foam pumps that can keep wildfires from igniting homes, and newer models feature enclosed cabs that can offer firefighters shelter from fast-moving infernos.

Air attack

Firefighters also are sure they’ll receive quick support from the air – the Orange County Fire Authority now owns four helicopters. Crews can pinpoint their water drops in the agile aircraft, OCFA Division Chief Scott Brown said, and that can keep small wildfires from growing to a devastating size.

“Our plan is hit it hard, hit it fast, hit it with a lot of resources,” he said.

Local firefighters have long depended on outside resources and manpower during wildfires. The mutual-aid system is much the same today, but now firefighters don’t go blind into a wildfire, LaTendresse said.

New radio repeaters allow those outside the city limits to hear units’ locations and assignments, and engines are equipped with radios that keep them in touch with outside agencies as well as the local frequency.

“(In 1993), people were coming into town that had never been here before, didn’t know our streets,” LaTendresse said. “If you’ve never been in the city, how do you know when you’re going down Canyon Acres that it’s about a half a mile long and there’s no turnaround at the end of the street?”

Reliable water supply

Even once firefighters got their bearings in 1993, they couldn’t count on the water supply. Reservoirs dried up, and as the city lost power, pumps that would have supplied fire hydrants went offline.

In the best of times, getting water to the hillside homes bisected by Laguna Canyon is complicated, said Renae Hinchey, general manager of the Laguna Beach County Water District.

To keep service reliable for customers and to prepare for future disasters, the district has poured millions into improving pipes, pump stations and fire hydrants. Portable generators are available during disasters, and after years of controversy among residents and the City Council, two new reservoirs with a total capacity of 8 million gallons were built.

“You can only be so ready, but we’re as ready as we can be,” Hinchey said.

Even the best equipment does little without the help of residents, Brown added.

Over the last few years, OCFA and Laguna Beach have focused on teaching people how to make their homes fire safe as well as how to safely evacuate through the Ready, Set, Go program. In the 20 years since the Laguna Fire, Brown said he’s seen apathy in locals when it comes to fire preparedness.

An Orange County Fire Authority Type 1 hand crew, from OCFA Station 47, is the first line of defense in a brushfire. Here the members of Crew 1, Squad B, are, from left: Dave Hahn, Bob Embree, Jonathan Povey, Gerard Abadjian, Patrick Garcia, Gabriel Flores, Mike Mercado, Chris Mahoney, Brian Cox and Frank Viramontes. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Orange County Fire Authority Fire Type 1 hand crew member Gerard Abadjian demonstrates the deployment of a personal shelter used by hotshot crews when fire over runs their position BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A Orange County Fire Authority Type 3 fire engine carries a hose, water and a pump (500 gallons per minute or larger) used primarily as a brush engine. Type 3 units normally are found in fire stations near the wildland interface areas. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Paul Satras stands approximately where the 1993 Laguna Beach firestorm began, describing the freight train speed of the fire he encountered that day. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Orange County Fire Authority has four firefighting helicopters based at Fullerton airport. Air Operations Crew Chief Dave Lopez stands near the agency's Vietnam War-era so-called Super Hueys that have seen a lot of service since the Laguna Beach firestorm. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Orange County Fire Authority has four firefighting helicopters based at Fullerton airport. Air Operations Crew Chief Dave Lopez sits in the cockpit of a twin-engine, four-rotor Bell 412 EP helicopter. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Orange County Fire Authority Fire communications dispatcher Nancy Horn talks with a parent as an ambulance rolls toward the home of a sick child. Horn was one of eight people handing emergency calls to OCFA headquarters on a September weekday morning. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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